1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a hand tool and more particularly to a hand tool for turning the screw on a hose clamp.
2. Background Information
Hose clamp screws have a recess and/or hex head for a tool drive end to engage. The recess conventionally is a slot for a blade type driver but sometimes a star for a Phillips type driver. The majority of hose clamps have a hex head and a slot for a blade driver. Regardless of the type of drive the tool must in most instances be pushed against the screw during use and when a clamp is loose on a hose it rotates thus making the task most difficult. To stop the rotation one must apply an equal and opposite force on the clamp or screw.
Tools have been proposed that engage both the nut on a bolt and the bolt head. Reference in this regard may be had to the following United States Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 1,294,857 issued Feb. 18, 1919 to C. Yuncker; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,282,523 issued Oct. 22, 1918 to C. Bauer. The tools in these references have a shaft with a socket drive head end for drivingly engaging the head of a bolt to rotate the same and means resiliently urging it toward a an extension to the tool that has a wrench or socket to hold a nut on the bolt while the head end is rotated. With these tools one must use two hands to force the bite of the tool open against the spring pressure to get it in a work position on the bolt. This is inconvenient and awkward and doesn""t leave a hand free to hold other parts and pieces as is often necessary when working with movable things such as hoses and hose clamps.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,910,899 is designed for use with a ring clamp.
The hose clamp tool of the present invention includes a base, an elongate post secured to and projecting upwardly from the base, and a support secured to and projecting upwardly from the base and offset laterally from the post. The support terminates in a free upper end. A flip up lid comprising a plate like member and hinge means pivotally attaching the plate like member, adjacent one edge thereof, to the upper end of the support. The lid has a slot extending inwardly from an edge thereof, opposite the hinge, to receive therein a portion of the post.
An object of the present invention is to provide a hose clamp tool wherein the clamp screw is engaged between and in axial alignment with the tool head end of a driver and an anvil on the tool and which can be readily manipulated using only one hand.